Direct access electronic mail (email) distribution and synchronization system with external SMTP server support

A communications system, comprising:

• a network engine comprising a processor configured to communicate with a plurality of user subscribed mobile wireless communications devices via a communications network for sending and receiving emails therefrom;
• and
• a direct access server comprising:
• an internal SMTP server that is configured for outgoing email, and a database storing configuration information for possible external SMTP servers, a processor including a proxy and SOAP module configured to:
• operate with the network engine to poll electronic mailboxes of the user belonging to an email source hosted by an email provider, obtain email from the electronic mailboxes and push any email through the network engine to selected user subscribed mobile wireless communications devices;
• and
• access said database to retrieve stored configuration information, provision access to one of the electronic mailboxes, using an email address, password and the configuration information for an external SMTP server specified for the email source of the one of the electronic mailboxes such that the internal SMTP server of the direct access server is not used, wherein said database is updated with current configuration information after successful provisioning.

A communications method, comprising:

• polling electronic mailboxes of a user belonging to an email source hosted by an email provider from a direct access server comprising a processor and an internal SMTP server;
• obtaining email at the direct access server from the electronic mailboxes;
• pushing email from the direct access server through a communications network to selected user subscribed mobile wireless communications devices by transmitting the emails through a network engine from the direct access server through the network;
• accessing a database storing configuration information for possible external SMTP servers;
• provisioning access to electronic mailboxes using an email address, password and a specific external SMTP server when the external SMTP server is specified for an email source of one of the electronic mailboxes such that an internal SMTP server associated with the direct access server is not used, and updating the database with current configuration information after successful provisioning.